Matthew Carmona: Urban design adds value
„Quality public spaces increase the economic and social value of their surroundings.“ This is the idea popularized by Professor Matthew Carmona, one of the most prominent academics today engaged in urban planning. Carmona will speak about how quality street and square design can influence a city's prosperity or contribute to its ecological sustainability in his lecture „Urban design adds value“ at the Czech Technical University in Prague on Thursday, September 24, starting at 6:00 PM.
„We still have a problem understanding the connection between good urban design and environmental value,“ says Carmona, who is among other things an advisor to the British government. Using four research projects as examples, he will show what investments in quality urban spaces bring to a city.
„Improving Prague's squares and streets for the better is one of our most important tasks. We need to realize that it is the face of public spaces that makes a city pleasant for its residents. That’s why we place such emphasis on projects like the reconstruction of Vinohradská Street,“ said Petr Hlaváček, director of the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague. „Matthew Carmona is an exceptional personality; unlike other theorists, his knowledge of city-making is grounded and provides a more realistic, albeit often complex, view of the relationship between the process of creating public spaces and their actual condition. We are pleased that IPR Prague, in cooperation with the FA CTU, can welcome him in Prague.“
Urban design as an independent field emerged half a century ago within the effort for synergy in designing public spaces. The best public space designs are created in collaboration among experts from several fields - architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, environmental protection, and social sciences dealing with human behavior and urban management. Urban design as an academic discipline also examines the relationship between the quality of public spaces, streets, or squares and the values they bring. It often shows that investments in quality design pay off for the city: urban spaces with trees and benches not only increase the value of adjoining properties but also attract people who then shop at local stores.
Matthew Carmona is a professor at the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London, where he teaches urban planning and urban design. His lecture will take place on Thursday, September 24, at 6:00 PM in the „Gočár“ hall of the Faculty of Architecture at CTU, Thákurova 9. A discussion will follow, featuring Pavla Melková, director of the Office of Public Spaces at the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague, and architect Michal Kohout from the FA CTU. Both the lecture and discussion will be conducted in English.
„We still have a problem understanding the connection between good urban design and environmental value,“ says Carmona, who is among other things an advisor to the British government. Using four research projects as examples, he will show what investments in quality urban spaces bring to a city.
„Improving Prague's squares and streets for the better is one of our most important tasks. We need to realize that it is the face of public spaces that makes a city pleasant for its residents. That’s why we place such emphasis on projects like the reconstruction of Vinohradská Street,“ said Petr Hlaváček, director of the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague. „Matthew Carmona is an exceptional personality; unlike other theorists, his knowledge of city-making is grounded and provides a more realistic, albeit often complex, view of the relationship between the process of creating public spaces and their actual condition. We are pleased that IPR Prague, in cooperation with the FA CTU, can welcome him in Prague.“
Urban design as an independent field emerged half a century ago within the effort for synergy in designing public spaces. The best public space designs are created in collaboration among experts from several fields - architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, environmental protection, and social sciences dealing with human behavior and urban management. Urban design as an academic discipline also examines the relationship between the quality of public spaces, streets, or squares and the values they bring. It often shows that investments in quality design pay off for the city: urban spaces with trees and benches not only increase the value of adjoining properties but also attract people who then shop at local stores.
Matthew Carmona is a professor at the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London, where he teaches urban planning and urban design. His lecture will take place on Thursday, September 24, at 6:00 PM in the „Gočár“ hall of the Faculty of Architecture at CTU, Thákurova 9. A discussion will follow, featuring Pavla Melková, director of the Office of Public Spaces at the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague, and architect Michal Kohout from the FA CTU. Both the lecture and discussion will be conducted in English.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
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